Birthday Blues
by Skate-815
Summary: a skatey one shot, based after the long con. It's Kate's birthday and while she just wants to forget it, Claire and Sawyer would rather make it special. Involves Claire and Kate friendship, drunken discussions about the triangle and flirting with sawyer


**A one shot, based post TLC. **

**It's Kate's birthday, and nobody knows but Claire. Cue some bonding over alcohol; drunken conversations about the love triangle and flirting with Sawyer.**

Claire stared at the small yellow grains of sand by her feet, wondering now that she had finally managed to acquire some free time, what she could possibly do with it.

Earlier that morning, she had felt in desperate need of a babysitter, having had almost no uninterrupted contact with any adult for what felt like an eternity. Ever since Charlie had proved himself to be even more untrustworthy than Sawyer, she had felt inconceivably alone. It wasn't that she didn't have friends on the island. She had many, who she hoped to remain close to following their inevitable rescue, however it just seemed that without Charlie's presence she was void of adult companionship, accept for those precious few hours that Aaron slept.

However, now that she was had finally deposited the boy on Sun, everyone else seemed to be too busy to give her the time of day. Jack and Locke, two of the people she counted as friends on the island were of course too busy bickering amongst themselves to so much as give her the time of day, while even Hurley seemed to preoccupied with Libby to speak to her.

Standing up slowly, she considered returning to Sun early, and maybe spend some time with her while Jin was out fishing. On her journey, she passed Sawyer's tent and couldn't help but give the southerner an elongated sideways glance.

He was a puzzle to her. At first, she had avoided as much contact as was possible with him, but since returning from the raft, he'd seemed so different… so much more receptive. Perhaps he was just glad to be alive, but Claire actually believed that maybe they were seeing the true Sawyer for a change.

Of course, he had proved her wrong once again just a few days ago, taking control of the guns as well as the medical supplies, forcing himself into a position of control. At that stage, most, if not all of the other survivors had resumed their unanimous hatred of him and he didn't even attempt to change anyone's opinions, seemingly preferring to be the figure of dislike.

"What?" she realized she must have been staring for too long, for his tone was harsh, aggressive, and completely Sawyer.

"Nothing…" he dismissed her with a role of his eyes, and he returned to the small black book in his hands. She was about to continue onwards, when she noticed the small pile of similarly shaped books by the side of his chair, and she hesitated, hardly believing what she was seeing.

"Are those passports?"

"Yup" he sounded more bored than annoyed now

"And why do you have them?"

"Well I don't have anything else to read, now do I?" she could hardly believe his logic

"But those are private."

"Maybe, maybe not… But the thing is, no one cares. If anyone had came lookin' for theirs, I would have given it to them. In the real world, these tell you who you are. While we're here, we make our own lives."

"Then why are you reading them?" she felt as if he was leading her in circles for his own personal pleasure.

"Nothin' better to do." he shrugged. And for a moment, she truly hated him, and his ability to nothing with his time. She wished she could be like him, and not care what people thought of her, or whether or not they spoke to her. She didn't want to feel the constant pressure to do something useful with her time, instead of just relaxing.

As he abandoned one passport in favour of another, he spoke again,

"I have yours somewhere in here, if you want it."

"Keep it." he was right in saying that she had no use for it, and it wasn't as if he could do anything with the information he found on it. She turned her back on him, and began to continue her slow walk back to Sun's tent, when he called her back

"Hey, did you know that it's Freckles' birthday, today?"

"No" she assumed that he gained that information from the Canadian passport he was now holding, and not from word of mouth, because not even Kate was speaking to him nowadays.

"Goodbye Sawyer." he didn't reply, and she changed her direction, walking towards Kate's tent instead, knowing now what she could do with her day.

* * *

"Happy Birthday" she said, standing by Kate's tent

"Thanks" Kate brushed the black hair out of her eyes as she concentrated on hacking a log in half with a now blunt axe

"I thought that was Sawyer's job."

"Well he doesn't seem very community spirited lately, and someone's got to do it." she sighed, "So how did you hear?"

"Sawyer's got your passport."

"Who else did he tell?"

"I don't think he told anyone. It's not as if a lot of people are speaking to him lately"

"Good" she grunted, "I never really made a big deal out of birthdays anyway. I'm going to head out to get some more wood now"

"Want some company?"

"Yeah, thanks" Kate left the axe on the ground and they started off at a quick pace together, Claire secretly glad to be leaving the heat of the beaches in favour of the woods, despite the constant sense of danger that was present there.

* * *

It was growing dark by the time they returned, and Claire was planning depositing the wood by Kate's tent and returning to Aaron. However, as Claire entered Kate's tent to get a bottle of water, her hand met something glass. Bringing one of the many similar objects into the light outside, she read the label on the bottle and grinned

"What's that?" Kate asked

"Vodka. Looks like someone's left you a birthday present."

"Was there a note?" Kate's poor attempt at nonchalance only made Claire's smile intensify, and she groped around in the semi darkness within. Finding a small scrap of paper, she read it aloud with confusion

"It just says _Carte Blanch_. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing" Kate's single word came so hurriedly, Claire knew it was a lie, but she let it slide as Kate reached for a bottle and asked

"Want a drink?"

* * *

An hour later, Claire was beginning to get flashbacks to the parties of her youth, and smiled devilishly, as an idea occurred to her

"Jack, Sawyer and Sayid. Kiss, marry, or push off a cliff." she just hoped Kate was drunk enough to answer honestly.

"I'd kiss Sayid, 'cos he's the only one that I haven't yet."

"You've kissed Sawyer and Jack?" Claire gasped. She'd always known that there had been some sort of connection between Kate and the two men, but she'd never suspected that Kate would actually make a move on either of them.

"Don't interrupt" she scolded, "And I suppose I'd have to marry Jack, because everyone else thinks I should."

"So poor Sawyer would get cliffed then" Claire giggled, "After he gave you this vodka as well"

"Nah. I'd just keep him as a backup." she snorted, "He's a better kisser anyway. What's your Charlie like?"

"I wouldn't know."

"You haven't even kissed him?"

"No. _I _have some degree of self control." Claire teased.

"Sawyer made me kiss him!" Kate argued, "And Jack… I was confused."

"Right… And I bet Sawyer makes you flirt with him too"

"I _do not_ flirt with Sawyer."

"Of course you do. If you're not off on some mission, or flirting with Jack, you're with Sawyer."

"Only because no one else will put up with him."

"If you hated him that much, you wouldn't bother." Claire said stubbornly, "And you certainly wouldn't flirt with him!"

"I don't"

"You don't what?" Jack's voice appeared from the complete darkness

"She says she doesn't flirt with Sawyer."

"She doesn't" Jack frowned, and peered at an empty bottle on the ground, "What's that?"

"Vodka. Sawyer brought it over for her."

"Why would he…"

"Because it's my birthday"

"Because Sawyer has a crush on her." Kate and Claire stated simultaneously. Jack's frown only intensified

"You should have brought this straight to me, Kate. We need it for the medical supplies."

"Oh lighten up Jack" Claire rolled her eyes

"I'll see you when you've sobered up." Jack sighed, apparently noticing he would get nowhere with either of them tonight.

"If that was my only other option, I'd flirt with Sawyer too" Claire hissed when he was out of earshot.

"I don't flirt with Sawyer!"

"Now I wouldn't say that Freckles." Sawyer smirked, as he appeared from where Jack had departed, "Having fun?"

"See! Even he agrees with me!" Claire laughed, "You flirt with him!"

"I don't!" Kate took another swig from the bottle, "And you should be on my side!"

"Just because he fancies you, it doesn't mean that he has to agree with you all the time."

"But he does, don't you Sawyer!"

"Whatever you say Freckles." Claire saw an amused look flicker across the Southerner's face before it was replaced with one of forced indifference,

"Sit down Sawyer," Kate ordered and Claire snorted as he obeyed instantly, "Thank you for the alcohol, and carte blanche, and for saving my life in the jungle, when we were going after Michael, and for the alcohol, and for making me kiss you, and for waking up again back at the hatch. Oh, and for the alcohol." she leant forward and kissed him on the cheek

"Remind me to get you drunk more often." he pushed himself to his feet again,

"Bye Sawyer" Claire shouted after him as he began walking back to his tent, before rounding on Kate, "You do flirt with Sawyer!"

"Well maybe a bit…"

**So it wasn't great... but it wasn't awful either.**

**Please Review**


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